A decades-long web of shootings linked to private security, gangs, drugs and suspicions of cop collusion underpins the assassination of murder accused Mark Lifman on 3 November in the Western Cape town of George. This snapshot shows how interconnected organised-crime-driven violence is in South Africa’s gang capital, the heart of which is Cape Town. It points to how this deadly scourge will inevitably continue – and claim more lives.
South Africa’s gang capital and its murderous matrix
BY CARYN DOLLEY
SA’s gang capital and its murderous matrix
BY CARYN DOLLEY
- Private (in)security
- Factions
- Pivotal assassinations
- Crimes timeline
- Crime map
- Looking ahead
When bullets pierced murder accused Mark Lifman in the Western Cape town of George on 3 November 2024, South Africa’s organised crime landscape changed instantly.
Lifman, well known in business circles and as a suspect among police investigators, consistently faced criminal accusations, including for murder, which he denied.
But given the arenas he operated in, the abrupt end to his life signified what could be yet another drastic shakeup of private security and related issues focused on Cape Town.
“If I am the so-called bad guy I’ve been made [out] to be then if I was ever to encounter a bad guy, I would want it to be me” - Mark Lifman
Mark Lifman to this journalist in May 2018
Nightclub security, in particular, has become notorious in the city and further across the country – decades of criminal accusations, suspicions of rogue intelligence agents and police officers, and murders shape this arena.
What makes these organised crime avenues extra murky is that disinformation may be planted and peddled to distract from the truth.
And facts often take the form of a body count - a murder toll.
Lifman’s murder has added to that toll, and fits into an ever-expanding matrix of crime that is smothering South Africa’s gangsterism capital, the Western Cape.
This matrix consists of assassinations, extortion, drug trafficking, gang battles, kidnappings, cop corruption, suspicions of poisonous politics, and dodgy business deals.
Here we detail the violence, overlapping crimes, and recurring themes including private security, that developed in the run up to Lifman's murder – brutality that will inevitably spark more vicious battles:
Private (in)security in South Africa
Private (in)security in South Africa
Private security is a booming industry in the country.
In the years running up to his 3 November 2024 murder, Mark Lifman’s name kept surfacing in relation to this sector because of his ties to it.
Daily Maverick has reported that the number of actively employed private security officers in South Africa is more than triple the number of police service employees.
As of 2024, according to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira), more than 2.8 million security officers were registered.
Of those, more than half a million – 577,444 – were actively employed.
To put that into perspective, the South African Police Service’s latest annual report said it had a total of 184,106 employees.
A Psira report to Parliament in September 2024 showed it was struggling to monitor the sector.
It said: “The Authority indicated that regular inspections are conducted but is hampered by a lack of sufficient capacity.
“The current capacity ratio of Psira is one inspector to 200 security companies (1:200) whereas the ideal would be 1:110 companies.”
When Lifman was killed in the town of George in November 2024, his name was firmly tied into private security activities in Cape Town.
The two suspects arrested in connection with his killing, Johannes Jacobs and Gert Bezuidenhout, also have links to the industry.
Both provided services to Professional Protection Alternatives, better known as PPA Security or PPA.
The company has a prominent presence in Cape Town’s upmarket Atlantic Seaboard suburbs and was familiar to Lifman.
On Thursday, 5 December 2024, police raided PPA's Cape Town headquarters, and attorney Martin Hood, speaking on behalf of the company, confirmed the raid related to the Lifman murder investigation.
He said firearms were seized for ballistic testing.
Hood made it clear that PPA was, and had been, cooperating with police and that the services it provided were unaffected.
Meanwhile, Psira spokesperson Bonang Kleinbooi confirmed to Daily Maverick “our Law Enforcement unit in [the] Western Cape is currently investigating” certain aspects relating to the Lifman matter.
In another case involving the sector, Mark Kannemeyer, of Westonaria in Gauteng, was targeted in a Hawks operation on 20 November 2024.
He had allegedly said he was an employee of the private security company G4s.
According to the Hawks, officers targeted him after receiving information about someone selling an AR15 rifle and various calibres of ammunition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGJQ2DYAgjw
A Hawks statement said: “A search of the target’s work vehicle revealed an AR15 rifle with a filed-off serial number wrapped in a towel.
“Kannemeyer claimed the rifle belonged to G4S, his employer, and he was using his company vehicle.”
His Westonaria home was also searched and three more firearms, plus various calibres of ammunition, were allegedly found.
“The suspect stated that these firearms and ammunition also belonged to G4S and that he possessed a permit for them,” the Hawks statement said.
Follow-up investigations were being carried out to determine the veracity of Kannemeyer’s claims.
Nightclub security factions as alleged by police
Nightclub security factions as alleged by police
A common thread weaving through organised crime in the Western Cape, and stretching out further across South Africa, is made up of suspicions of dodgy private security.
The suspicions include that rogue intelligence agents and corrupt police officers have sided with gangsters to infiltrate this sector.
A previous statement by a Hawks officer explained that individuals who had control over the door of an establishment could also control the drug trade and other crimes.
It is also believed some figures use private security companies as fronts to access firearms.
Mark Lifman’s name was one of those that became synonymous with private security issues, especially in Cape Town.
His official entry into the sector happened after an assassination.
The 1990s crew
In the 1990s rumoured intelligence agent Cyril Beeka dominated nightclub security operations in Cape Town’s city centre. Among those who worked with him was a man who became a veteran bouncer, Jacques Cronje. Some police officers viewed Beeka as running private security as a front for apartheid-era cops – and for the Italian Mafia. There were also suspicions he was involved with ANC figures who later became high-ranking government officials in democratic South Africa. Some police officers alleged that Beeka’s security outfit forced their services on establishment owners. In other words, they demanded fees in exchange for their “protection”. That equates to extortion, a massive crime in South Africa. Gangs viewed as aligned to Beeka included the Americans and the Hard Livings. Beeka was killed in March 2011.
New arrivals in 2011
Beeka’s murder seemed to leave a void in private security operations in Cape Town. After he was killed, other individuals from the city, including Lifman, Andre Naude and Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, who police viewed as leading the Sexy Boys gang, which he denied, became prominent names in the bouncer industry. Police investigators said they dominated nightclub security for several years. The State later alleged Lifman had connections to the 27s gang. Lifman, Naude and Booysen were subsequently charged in connection with the murder of an international steroid smuggler – they pleaded not guilty. The trio have been shot in separate incidents. In Lifman’s case this proved fatal in November 2024.
The 2017 takeover
In 2017, Nafiz Modack, also from Cape Town, started making his presence felt in the nightclub security arena in the city. He had been close to Beeka. Police alleged that Modack headed a group that took on Lifman and his allies. Police viewed Modack’s associates as including veteran bouncer Jacques Cronje, who once worked with Beeka, and Colin Booysen, the brother of Jerome “Donkie” Booysen. The brothers seem to have had a fallout. The State later alleged that Modack used the Terrible West Siders gang to carry out acts on his behalf.
What next – a new order in 2025?
While Lifman consistently denied any involvement in crime, it is anticipated that his November 2024 murder will see aspects of private security, along with Cape Town’s organised crime landscape, change drastically. Crime can be generational, so a younger individual from similar circles may fill the void Lifman’s murder appears to have left.
Beeka’s murder seemed to leave a void in private security operations in Cape Town. After he was killed, other individuals from the city, including Lifman, Andre Naude and Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, who police viewed as leading the Sexy Boys gang, which he denied, became prominent names in the bouncer industry. Police investigators said they dominated nightclub security for several years. The State later alleged Lifman had connections to the 27s gang. Lifman, Naude and Booysen were subsequently charged in connection with the murder of an international steroid smuggler – they pleaded not guilty. The trio have been shot in separate incidents. In Lifman’s case this proved fatal in November 2024.
In 2017, Nafiz Modack, also from Cape Town, started making his presence felt in the nightclub security arena in the city. He had been close to Beeka. Police alleged that Modack headed a group that took on Lifman and his allies. Police viewed Modack’s associates as including veteran bouncer Jacques Cronje, who once worked with Beeka, and Colin Booysen, the brother of Jerome “Donkie” Booysen. The brothers seem to have had a fallout. The State later alleged that Modack used the Terrible West Siders gang to carry out acts on his behalf.
While Lifman consistently denied any involvement in crime, it is anticipated that his November 2024 murder will see aspects of private security, along with Cape Town’s organised crime landscape, change drastically. Crime can be generational, so a younger individual from similar circles may fill the void Lifman’s murder appears to have left.
The pivotal trio of assassinations
Cyril Beeka
March 2011
Charl Kinnear
September 2020
Mark Lifman
November 2024
These three murders emphasise how complex and murky organised crime is.
Cyril Beeka was a suspected intelligence agent. When Lifman was murdered, questions also lingered about whether he had been an informant to intelligence operatives.
In the case of Charl Kinnear, his murder exposed extreme infighting and distrust within the South African Police Service.
By the time of his murder he had already written to his police bosses, complaining that some of his cop colleagues were using state resources to target him and other police officers.
Kinnear had been investigating various organised crime suspects, including Nafiz Modack, who previously denied suspicions he was an informant. Kinnear was also looking into fellow police officers, and whether they were creating fraudulent firearm licences for criminals. The problem of cops potentially arming thugs was previously flagged in South Africa.
Some of his investigations focused on dodgy aspects of private security in Cape Town, the common thread woven into and around various crimes, including the murders of Cyril Beeka and Mark Lifman.
The matrix of interlinked and overlapping crimes
The matrix of interlinked and overlapping crimes
A decades-old matrix of shootings, connected to private security, gangs, drugs, and suspicions of cop collusion, underpins Mark Lifman’s murder.
This snapshot of that matrix shows how interconnected organised crime-driven violence is in South Africa’s gang capital, the Western Cape.
It points to how this deadly scourge will inevitably continue – and claim more lives.
29 May 2007
YURI "THE RUSSIAN" ULIANITSKI IS KILLED
Yuri “The Russian” Ulianitski is murdered while driving in Milnerton. He had been on his way home from a dinner with, among others, Lifman. His four-year-old daughter, Yulia, is also killed, while his wife is wounded. Ulianitski was involved in business with Lifman and had ties to nightclub security. He was associated with rumoured intelligence agent and private security kingpin Cyril Beeka.
Suspicions are that Ulianitski was murdered to get him out of the way because he was becoming too dominant in certain dubious arenas.
21 March 2011
CYRIL BEEKA IS MURDERED
Cyril Beeka is murdered in Bellville South while being driven from the home of Jerome “Donkie” Booysen who is suspected of heading the Sexy Boys gang. Beeka was thought to have worked with apartheid-era cops as well as ANC figures. He maintained a monopoly on nightclub security in Cape Town’s city centre from the 1990s. Weeks after Beeka’s killing, a new company, Specialised Protection Services, was registered on 13 April 2011 involving, among others, Mark Lifman and Andre Naude, as well as brothers Jerome and Colin Booysen. The Beeka murder has international angles. At the time of his shooting, Beeka was being driven by Dobrosav Gavric, a Serbian assassin wanted in his home country for killing three men, including one of Europe’s most feared warlords, Zeljko Raznatovic, better known as Arkan, in 2000.
Suspicions include that Beeka was assassinated because he was not keen on a plan to amalgamate bouncer groupings in Cape Town and he was standing in the way of others who wanted to dominate this arena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0KUeAWtuVY
9 October 2013
SALIEM JOHN IS WOUNDED
Suspected 28s gangster Saliem John, the cousin of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield, is wounded in a shooting on the steps of the Western Cape High Court where he was on trial for various crimes. In March the following year, John is sentenced to life in jail for crimes including three murders. As for Ralph Stanfield, his uncle was Colin Stanfield, who was suspected of heading the gang conglomerate The Firm, with strong 28s ties, before he died in 2004.
The attack on John is viewed as potential fighting between the 28s and the Sexy Boys, with suspicions that members of the latter gang targeted him.
9 October 2013
LEON DAVIDS IS KILLED
On the same day that Saliem John is attacked, Leon Davids is killed in a shooting in the Cape Town suburb of Belhar, parts of which are known as Sexy Boys gang strongholds. According to several sources, Davids may have been involved in Beeka’s murder. Around this time there are stirrings in private security focused on the city centre with stories doing the rounds of establishment owners being forced to pay protection fees to purported security providers, much like what Beeka had enforced.
Suspicions include that Davids was killed as he was a key witness to the Beeka killing, or that he was a tit-for-tat target because the 28s were angered by the attack on John earlier that same day.
20 June 2015
JOE KANYONA IS MURDERED
A doorman, Joe Kanyona, is murdered in a stabbing at the Beerhouse, in Long Street in Cape Town’s city centre, allegedly after the venue’s owner, Randolf Jorberg, refuses to sign up with a certain group offering “services” styled as security.
Suspicions are that Kanyona was killed to show that those demanding protection fees were not to be toyed with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZNDHXBOxE
15 January 2016
NATHANIEL MOSES
Nathaniel Moses is fatally shot in Strand. He ran a nightclub there and was a leader of the Mobsters, a faction of the 28s allegedly responsible for a spate of killings around the province. Moses’s murder results in a Mobsters leadership change. There are suspicions that corrupt cops are working with the Mobsters.
Suspicions are that Moses was killed while he was trying to separate himself from the gang, and that he was targeted so that another individual could take over the Mobsters and prevent Moses from speaking, or acting, out.
7 November 2016
NOORUDIEN HASSAN IS MURDERED
Attorney Noorudien Hassan is murdered in a shooting in Lansdowne. He represented clients including gang suspects. He was also on a legal team representing a suspect in a case focused on cops allegedly smuggling firearms to gangsters. This became known as the guns-to-gangs case.
Suspicions include that Hassan was murdered because of incriminating information he had about others.
“Ms doley!That. same. guns. that. the. cops. sold. is. going. to. be. used. on. your. head. at. work. or. your. house. or. your. mom. house. and. your. dog
- SMS threat to this journalist in August 2017 while was writing about investigations into whether police officers were smuggling firearms to gangsters
29 March 2017
A NIGHTCLUB SECURITY BATTLE ERUPTS
A property in Cape Town’s northern suburbs belonging to Nafiz Modack, who was close to Cyril Beeka, is auctioned and Lifman is the highest bidder. Later that day a second property belonging to Modack is auctioned. Lifman and Modack are present. Violence allegedly erupts and, according to police investigators, this sparks a fresh battle over nightclub security domination. Police investigators say Modack and men aligned to him, including Colin Booysen, take on Lifman and his allies, including Jerome Booysen and Andre Naude. Suspicions are that the 27s gang is aligned to Lifman.
6 July 2017
RALPH STANFIELD IS WOUNDED
Alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield is wounded in a shooting near the Melrose Arch shopping complex in Johannesburg. According to the State, international steroid kingpin Brian Wainstein, based in Cape Town, believed Mark Lifman orchestrated the shooting on Stanfield.
18 August 2017
BRIAN WAINSTEIN IS MURDERED
Brian Wainstein, also known as the Steroid King, is murdered while asleep in his home in the upmarket Cape Town suburb of Constantia. It is suspected Wainstein and Stanfield were associates. Wainstein, based on testimony in court cases, did not get along with Lifman.
Suspicions being ventilated in court include that Wainstein was eliminated so his steroid business could be taken over.
“If I see you I will destroy you. Do you understand me?”
- Brian Wainstein in an apparent phone call recording previously played in a Cape Town court case in February 2018
14 October 2017
NICOLE MULLER AND DONOVAN JACOBS ARE KILLED
Nicole Muller, a mother of two, is fatally wounded in a shooting while celebrating a friend’s 30th birthday party in a Stellenbosch nightclub. Donovan Jacobs, who sources suspected was a 28s gangster, was also killed. Muller was caught in gunfire during what appeared to be a gang shooting.
18 October 2017
JEROME BOOYSEN IS WOUNDED
Jerome Booysen is wounded in a shooting at Cape Town International Airport, the third time he is the target of a shooting this year.
3 December 2017
PITSHOU FALANGA NGWALO IS FATALLY STABBED
A bouncer, Pitshou Falanga Ngwalo, is fatally stabbed at Cubana, an establishment that was in Green Point outside Cape Town’s city centre. The State later alleges Modack was involved in the stabbing.
According to policeman Charl Kinnear, it appeared there was an argument over VIP tables and Ngwalo was stabbed during a related altercation.
16 February 2018
HAMPSHIRE BROWN IS FATALLY SHOT
Hampshire “Hempies” Brown is fatally shot while driving in Eerste River where he co-owned a venue, Club Wendies.
Suspicions are that members of the Mobsters gang, linked to the 28s, were behind the murder in a situation involving drugs - or simply jealousy.
5 August 2018
CARL LAKAY IS MURDERED
Carl Lakay – who at one stage was facing charges relating to extortion alongside accused including Nafiz Modack, in a case in which Modack was later cleared – is shot dead in Goodwood.
20 October 2018
PETE MIHALIK IS MURDERED
Lawyer Pete Mihalik is murdered in a shooting in Green Point while taking his children to school. His clients included Ralph Stanfield, who is later a pallbearer at his funeral.
Three men – Sizwe Biyela, Nkosinathi Khumalo and Vuyile Maliti – are later jailed in connection with the killing. The motive for Mihalik’s murder is not clear.
Questions, which later emerge informally, revolve around whether Mihalik may have been getting involved in private security, or was representing individuals in this arena, which could have upset others.
“I go to everyone when shot … [I’ve] never discriminated in my life. My higher power has a purpose for me”
- Pete Mihalik to this journalist after going to the Brian Wainstein murder scene in in August 2017
9 June 2019
NICOLAAS HEERSCHAP IS FATALLY SHOT
Nicolaas Heerschap, the father of Hawks officer Nico Heerschap, is fatally shot as he leaves his son’s home in Melkbosstrand. Heerschap Junior later says he was involved in investigating Nafiz Modack.
His dad may have been murdered in a case of mistaken identity in which he was the actual target.
14 November 2019
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ANDRÉ KAY IS FATALLY SHOT
Lieutenant Colonel André Kay is fatally shot outside his home in Bishop Lavis, parts of which are known as 28s strongholds. Suspicions include that he may have been targeted in a case of mistaken identity, and that another policeman, Charl Kinnear, was the actual target.
13 December 2019
RASHIED STAGGIE IS FATALLY SHOT
Former Hard Livings gang boss Rashied Staggie is fatally shot while sitting in a vehicle outside his home in the Cape Town suburb of Salt River. Ralph Stanfield is later charged in connection with this killing. Stanfield has not yet had a chance to plead to this.
5 January 2020
TIMOTHY LOTTER IS FATALLY SHOT
Timothy Lotter is fatally shot in Goodwood. He was head of a company that provided security to the Beerhouse, and also head of the Satudarah Motorcycle Club in South Africa. The club is outlawed in the Netherlands. Some individuals with ties to private security issues have questioned whether Lotter was a police informant.
15 March 2020
HORATIO SOLOMON IS WOUNDED
Horatio “Voudie” Solomon, a nephew of Ernest “Ernie Lastig” Solomon, tied to the 28s and Terrible Josters gangs, is wounded in a shooting in Durbanville, in Cape Town’s northern suburbs. Horatio was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Western Cape High Court in October 2020 in a case in which he was accused of heading the Terrible Josters.
9 April 2020
WILLIAM BOOTH IS TARGETED
Attorney William Booth is shot in an attempted hit outside his home in the city. He is not wounded. Among Booth’s clients is Lifman.
The following year the National Prosecuting Authority announces that three accused – Kauthar Brown, Ebrahim Deare and Riyaad Gesant – have been sentenced for conspiring to murder Booth. They are members of the Terrible West Siders, which the State alleged was linked to Modack.
18 September 2020
CHARL KINNEAR IS ASSASSINATED
Policeman Charl Kinnear is assassinated outside his home in Bishop Lavis. He was shot while he was investigating organised crime suspects including fellow cops and Modack. Kinnear had previously been to Lifman’s home as part of investigations.
“I see the possibility exists more innocent people will get killed and injured”
- policeman Charl Kinnear testifying in a Cape Town court case against Nafiz Modack and others, that ended in acquittals, in January 2018
20 November 2020
ERNEST SOLOMON IS FATALLY SHOT
Ernest “Ernie Lastig” Solomon, of Cape Town, is fatally shot in Boksburg, Gauteng. Solomon, suspected of being involved in the drug and perlemoen (abalone) trade, was pointed to as being the mastermind behind Leon Davids’s 9 October 2013 murder - in retaliation for Cyril Beeka’s 2011 killing, which some suspect Davids carried out.
23 December 2020
MARK LIFMAN, JEROME BOOYSEN AND WILLIAM STEVENS ARE ARRESTED
Mark Lifman, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, and William “Red” Stevens, widely reputed to be the most senior 27s gangster in the Western Cape, are arrested for the August 2017 murder of Brian “the Steroid King” Wainstein.
29 April 2021
NAFIZ MODACK IS ARRESTED
Modack is arrested and subsequently faces various charges, including for the September 2020 assassination of policeman Charl Kinnear. Modack denies involvement.
2 February 2021
WILLIAM STEVENS IS SHOT DEAD
William Stevens is shot dead outside his home in Kraaifontein before he is meant to appear in court with Lifman and Jerome Booysen for the Wainstein murder case.
17 October 2022
JUDGE DANIEL THULARE WARNS OF 28S GANGSTERS INFILTRATING COPS
Judge Daniel Thulare makes alarming findings - he hands down a judgment saying that evidence in a case suggests that the 28s gang infiltrated the Western Cape’s police, to management level, and that the Mobsters gang is a threat to prosecutors.
“The evidence suggests not only a capture of some lower ranking officers in the SAPS. The evidence suggests that the senior management of the SAPS in the province has been penetrated to the extent that the 28 gang has access to the table where the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in the Western Cape sits”
- Judge Daniel Thulare in an October 2022 judgment
16 February 2023
WENDY KLOPPERS IS MURDERED
City of Cape Town official Wendy Kloppers is fatally shot at a housing development site in Delft, apparently after the City refuses to give in to gangsters demanding work there. A suspect later hands himself over to police and is charged in connection with the shooting in a broader case in which Ralph Stanfield is also accused and facing other charges.
2 March 2023
ERNEST MCLAUGHLIN IS MURDERED
Ernest McLaughlin, an alleged associate of Stanfield, is murdered in a shooting in the Cape Town suburb of Belhar.
13 March 2023
SIMON STANFIELD IS KILLED
Stanfield’s cousin Simon Stanfield is killed in a shooting near Blikkiesdorp in Delft.
5 May 2023
JOEL BOOYSEN IS WOUNDED
Jerome Booysen’s son Joel is wounded in a shooting in Green Point.
One person shot in the the leg ran inside the centre pic.twitter.com/0txwFm3uo6
— ?Tanswell Aspeling (@tanswelaspeling) May 5, 2023
29 September 2023
RALPH STANFIELD AND NICOLE JOHNSON ARE ARRESTED
Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson are arrested at their home in the upmarket Cape Town suburb in Constantia in a car theft and fraud case. This case grows. By late 2024 they have not yet officially pleaded in the case.
9 September 2024
MALUSI BOOI IS ARRESTED
Malusi Booi, the Cape Town mayoral committee member who was fired in 2023, is arrested along with several others. They are accused of being involved in an unlawful R2-billion tender enterprise, allegedly headed by Ralph Stanfield and Nicole Johnson. By late 2024 Booi has not had a chance to officially state his version of what transpired.
20 September 2024
ABDUL KADER DAVIDS IS MURDERED
A co-accused of Booi’s, Abdul Kader Davids, is murdered in Mitchells Plain, two days after being granted bail in the unlawful tender enterprise case.
11 October 2024
PETER JAGGERS AND WILLIAM PETERSEN ARE FOUND MURDERED
The bodies of suspected Terrible Josters gang boss Peter Jaggers and his associate William Petersen are found bound in a Free State river after they were reported as kidnapped in Gauteng about three months earlier.
There are suspicions the two were linked to a major cocaine consignment that was meant to be collected from Colombian traffickers off Cape Town’s coast earlier this year, but that this did not go according to plan, leading to their murders.
3 November 2024
MARK LIFMAN IS MURDERED
Lifman is murdered in George the day before he is set to appear in court for the resumption of the Wainstein murder trial. Two suspects arrested in connection with Lifman’s killing have ties to private security, the industry in which Lifman was involved.
Suspicions do the rounds that Lifman was involved in security linked to a mine in another South African province and that soured relations connected to that are being looked at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDvYnjikCY
What lies ahead?
What lies ahead?
Mark Lifman’s killing is pivotal in South Africa as it re-emphasises how interconnected different aspects of organised crime are.
It points to how this dangerous matrix is all-encompassing and not confined to certain areas or sectors.
Different types of lawbreaking, suspected and confirmed, are occurring in various neighbourhoods, from upmarket ones to historically less-advantaged areas, in businesses, in public and private offices, as well as in law enforcement and security circles.
Lifman’s murder also underscores how aspects of the very sectors meant to protect us - private security and policing - have turned inside out.
He was on trial for Brian Wainstein’s killing with, among others, a former policeman, and was involved in private security.
In November 2024, it emerged that the two suspects arrested after Lifman’s murder also had ties to the industry.
What is presented here is a mere snapshot of a far more expansive and intricate criminal matrix stretching out from Cape Town, across South Africa and beyond its border.
Many innocent victims have lost their lives to this matrix.
Many have been wounded. Traumatised.
Violence persists.
On 11 November 2024, roughly a week after Lifman was killed, Suhail Muhamed, an associate of Peter Jaggers, was wounded in an unrelated shooting in Netreg, where Jaggers was from.
This snapshot shows that the proof of organised crime - the murder toll related to it - will inevitably increase, especially in South Africa’s gang epicentre, the Western Cape.
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